The Everything-PR Public Relations News Brief – EPR PR Blog
A brand almost always makes an impression. Online reputation requires different types of goals and approaches. For great reputation management online, it is important to listen to what people are saying about an organization. If an organization pays interest to what people are saying about it online, they can address why they are saying it, rather than covering it up with positive information. Online reputation management refers to the way the narrative of an organization, person, or brand can be controlled online. A strong organization is one that responds promptly with messages that exhibit that the organization listens and understands.
Transparency
Customers nowadays expect to be heard and understood online. They talk about their disappointment with bad services online. One error on the organization’s end can affect its reputation forever. A perceptive brand understands this. They address this in their approaches to online reputation management. They know that customers expect transparent communication online.
Dealing with negative comments
Responding to all types of comments is good for a business, including negative ones. It is not possible to please everybody all the time. Certain people can also gang up on a business on social media platforms. Embarrassing videos that have been leaked can also inspire viral outrage. Unfavorable comments often receive more attention than favorable ones. Negative comments can often discourage other customers from buying from a company. Some customers are just upset and want to feel that they are being heard and negative comments from them may not mean that they will not patronize a company again. Given below are steps that should be taken to promote the online reputation of a company.
Determining the approach
There cannot be a single approach to online reputation management that will work for everyone. Each organization has to understand its own needs. To do that, they must have a clear picture of their existing reputation. The company should also consider what level of involvement is needed. For instance, if the business is a local auto repair business in Portland, there is no point in advertising it in San Francisco. A business like that only needs to take care of security and online customer service. A web design business can easily create user-friendly websites across the world. A business like that can promote its reputation online to earn a trustworthy reputation.
Check out the competition
It is important that a business knows what its competition is doing online. An organization can keep track of its competition by using Google search or looking them up on Twitter. They can also check out their Facebook pages to see how active they are on their social media platforms and how their content enhances their reputation. They should also check out brands that are more popular so that their approach can serve as a model. A company should also pay attention to how its competitors handle customer service. A wealth of insight can also be learned from customer reviews. Google Alerts also helps to monitor what is being said about the competition.
Set goals
A business must decide what its goals are before developing an approach to online reputation management. Without a goal, an organization will never know whether it has been reached. The goals should help a business to generate a positive reputation online. While developing an online reputation management approach, the number one priority should be that a company’s accounts should be structured in such a way that the company has full control over them and can maintain their security.
Avoid unprofessional email addresses
Customers these days prefer official and business-like email addresses for brands. There should be separate personal and professional email addresses. A professional email address also helps to build the credibility of a business. Email addresses can be made with the help of Google Workspace.
Password security
Password security should not be dismissed. Simple passwords are never enough. Bots all over the web keep looking for weak passwords. There are so many instances of Facebook profiles getting hacked. To avoid such instances, it is better to come up with a sentence or a phrase that is of some significance to the user. It could be a quote from a movie or even a line from a famous poem. Numbers, upper-case letters, and symbols should also be used.
Build social media teams
Social media teams play an important role in online reputation management. They work together and promptly respond to online conversations. The objective of the team should be that a company should have a clear and consistent presence online. The members of the team should be able to analyze trends, know how to use monitoring tools, and develop effective communication strategies. It is also cost-effective to outsource a team. Hiring virtual assistants or social media teams can also help to save time. There should also be a schedule for weekends because issues can come up on weekends too. An ideal checking in schedule would be to check in every hour. There should be certain roles within the social media teams that would help companies to acquire followers and have a fan base. The roles are content specialist, community engagement specialist, copywriter, and PR partner. A monitoring specialist also listens earnestly to what people are saying online.
Online monitoring tools
Online reputation can be monitored effectively with appropriate tools. There are plenty of options available and each organization needs tools that are suitable for its purpose. Some popular tools for online reputation management are The Brand Grader, Reputology, Buffer, and Mention. Reputology is location-specific which is very helpful for brick-and-mortar stores.
Have effective SEO keywords
SEO keywords help to improve the visibility of an organization. SEO keywords help to bring customers to a website and increase a brand’s authority online. While developing content, it is important to do keyword research to find out words used by people who look for similar businesses. They should not be used over and over again just to get search engines to rank a website higher. The keywords can appear in the title or at the top of a blog post.
Engage via social media
For a company to maintain its reputation online, it has to gain that reputation. It should have a consistent brand voice that will help it to build a positive online reputation quickly. A company should create online content that would attract audiences. The audience should get a feeling of personal connection. Some people might prefer the online presence of a brand because they like the content being shared by it. Time has to be given to developing relationships with the audience. Having online communities built around a brand can also prove to be helpful as members of a community share messages and enrich discussions with their unique points of view. For instance, posting questions can help with product development. Trust cannot be earned easily. To build trust, an organization can give its online audience helpful material such as blogs, white papers, or infographics. Connecting with people online should feel human. The audience should feel that they are talking to a real person. To be able to hold on to the attention of the audience, the message should be simple, real, and unique.
Keep content fresh and terrific
To retain an audience, it is crucial to keep content fresh and terrific. Fresh content creates enthusiasm. Staying up to date encourages visits and helps to grow brand loyalty. Research should be done on which keywords are bringing in traffic. There should be a regular posting schedule and the content should have elements of fun. For instance, Hubspot keeps on adding ebooks to its blog posts. Maintaining a humorous tone also helps to lighten up readers. Responding promptly with a sense of humor also leads to positive results.
Invite guest bloggers
For guest blogging, someone from outside the company needs to be invited to write a blog that will be published on the company’s website. The guest writer is normally an authority on a subject relevant to the company or works in a similar organization. Guest blogging is helpful for both parties involved. It brings in fresh content with unique points of view and styles and also helps a company to be treated as an authority in its industry. Guest blogs also help to improve SEO. Guest blogging also helps to build relationships as guest bloggers can provide new opportunities and extend readership.
Use images
Images are effective storytelling tools. When a brand uses pictures, it makes its products and services come alive. It becomes an intrinsic part of things that people remember when they hear the name of the brand being mentioned. Superior images also lead to comments and are shared by people on social media platforms. Pictures that are compelling or characterized by novelty will draw more attention. It is better to use authentic photos than stock images. For blog posts, photos should be used on the left side as the majority of people read from left to right.
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